Are you a purple squirrel?
“I’ve not had anyone speak truth to me in a long time. People are always trying to be my friend. I need someone to tell me the truth, and I’m glad I found you.”
“Once again you have proven that you are the Rolls Royce of the industry.”
We’ve been privileged to partner on development coaching, career coaching, branding, and writing projects with some of the top attorneys in country, senior leadership lawyers with:
20 to 40+ years of experience
Top compensation for their sectors, including private sector base salaries of $500,000+, with some having multimillion-dollar total compensation packages
Corporate leadership roles such as chief legal officer (CLO) or general counsel (GC), chief operations officer (COO), chief compliance officer (CCO), chief administrative officer (CAO), head of business development, and deputy general counsel (DGC) at Global 100 / Fortune 500 / 1000 companies or their divisions, major subsidiaries, and business lines
Law firm leadership roles such law firm founders, managing partners, executive committee members, practice group leaders, and major equity partners in AmLaw 200, Magic Circle, elite boutique practices, and other law firms of all sizes
Government, agency, or institutional leadership roles in organizations such as the military, federal agencies, state government, universities and colleges, and global or national non-profits
When just “finding a job” isn’t your biggest challenge.
“You’re a f*cking genius. I’m so glad [a different executive career coach] suggested I talk to you. Just the clarity you bring is priceless.”
C-suite lawyers and equity law firm partners are often more concerned about finding the right fit. They may be exploring their options in law and adjacent business and executive spaces.
Additionally, top-level lawyers often have non-linear career paths that create highly individualized backgrounds, achievements, and career interests.
“I have accepted a position with [healthcare company] as Chief Administrative Officer... I wanted you to know that I highly valued the work that we did together... you provide a rare and valuable service for high level legal professionals.”
Those non-linear career paths aren’t a liability; they often lead to the creation of “purple squirrels,” an executive and legal search term used to refer to candidates with a hard to find combination of qualifications. Purple squirrels are highly valued by corporate boards of directors, executive leadership teams, and retained recruiters.
We help you re-imagine what opportunities might be available to you. Our goals are to help you:
“You have a magical talent with resume writing and helping people craft their story and brand... Magical is an understatement!”
Bring clarity to your current situation and flourish where you are, making the most of your current role
Determine what you want the next stage in your life and career to look like
Develop a path to get there and move forward on that path
Explore, articulate, and leverage your value in the marketplace, including creating a clear, compelling narrative from even varied and tangled careers
Become a target of acquisition by the right employers, and for the right roles, including corporate boards
Excel at every stage of the job search process, as well as during the first 90 days at your new employer and throughout your tenure.
For most clients, this means new thinking, as well as scrapping old career documents they’ve been cobbling together for decades. We replace them with an elegant career portfolio designed to appeal to the highest levels of organizational leadership, including boards of directors and management committees.
In a handful of cases, these lawyers are looking to downshift, wrap up their careers, or switch to a rewarding encore career before retirement. We can help with that too.
How We Can Help You
Career Services for Senior Leaders
Just a few of the areas we can help you with are...
Writing and Branding
Résumés and CVs
Cover letters and correspondence
Deal sheets, representative matters, and sample projects
Listings of presentations, speaking engagements, and media mentions
Leadership and corporate board bios
LinkedIn profiles
Recruiter questionnaires
Marketing and website copy
Business plans
30-60-90 day plans
Professional and authentic branding
Identification of value and impact
Immediate Career Decision-Making
Exploring multiple career paths
Working with retained legal and executive search consultants
Moving in-house from a law firm
Demonstrating industry-specific or problem-specific track records
Building career narratives around non-linear work experience
Leveraging early career or military experience
Getting credit for language and cultural fluencies
Changing job markets
Deciding among job offers
Negotiating salary
Downshifting
Long-Term Career Planning
Networking and relationship building
Building and showcasing thought leadership
Positioning for corporate or nonprofit boards
Identifying your best fit roles and employers
Identifying technical or experiential soft spots, as well as building plans to beef them up
Creating and moving toward end-goals
Planning for retirement
Looking forward to giving back and post-retirement fulfillment
Shauna C. Bryce speaking to Harvard Law School alumni, addressing mid-career options and decision-making in “Improving with Age: Making the Most of Your Legal Vintage," at HLS, Cambridge, MA.
Strategic Career Coaching for Senior Leaders
Although we have developed long-term relationships with many of our clients, most of our C-suite and equity partner clients don’t want long-term coaching packages. Instead, they have specific, periodic need for a strategic career adviser and partner. Our career coaching is designed as a simple, elegant solution: just tell us the issues you’d like to discuss, and send us your current résumé, bio, or profile so that we have some context.
“I’ve only done hiring in law firms, and I’ve never thought about the things you’re talking about. This is been a great perspective and tutorial on how companies hire GCs.”
Résumé Writing for Senior Leaders
Our résumé writing by screen share let you get the help you want, faster and at a lower price point. This can be a critical tool for C-suite lawyers and equity partners in a hurry to improve their documents quickly and dramatically.
Because we need time to discuss positioning, branding, and overall career narrative, we find c-suite and equity partners prefer to start with a 90-Min or 120-Min session in order to make substantial progress on their documents. We also have a 1/2 Day session option.
Because of the popularity and efficiency of our Résumé Writing by Screen Share process, we discontinued the Bryce Legal Bespoke Résumé Writing program.
What’s the Difference Between a Résumé and a CV?
“Before you worked your magic, there was almost no interest in me, but afterward, I started getting numerous inquiries.”
“Now that I’m looking at the work the previous résumé writer did more carefully, it’s almost like the wording could apply to anyone. It’s just résumé gobbledygook.”
Social Media and LinkedIn® Profile Optimization for Senior Leaders
“Shauna, I noted how terrific [my GC friend’s] LinkedIn profile is and asked her how it got that way. She sung your praises.”
There are said to be 8+ million C-level executives on LinkedIn, and been reported that more than 1/3 of executives in the U.S., Europe, and Asia use LinkedIn. Additionally, LinkedIn is one of top search and recruiting tools for retained, contingency, and internal recruiters.
Therefore, we recommend all lawyers have a strong, polished presence on LinkedIn—even those who are passive or stealth job seekers.
However, top-level attorneys face issues with setting up LinkedIn profiles and participating in its ecosystem, including setting a tone of modern, collaborative leadership for their organizations while quietly attracting further career opportunities.
Shauna C. Bryce as moderator of “5 Strategies on How to Gain Visibility and Become Invaluable as a Law Firm Associate,” Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) One-Day Career Strategies Conference, hosted by K&L Gates LLP in New York, NY. With panelists Jayme Smoot of Nationwide and Christopher Robinson of Kirkland & Ellis.
We can help you put together a LinkedIn profile that reflects your leadership and value, as well as positions you as a target of acquisition for those purple squirrel opportunities.
Why Work with Us? Sample Testimonials from Senior Leaders
Why work with Bryce Legal? How can you choose the best lawyer career coach and legal résumé writer for you? Here’s what just a few our clients say. For more, please see Our Client Testimonials.
Your Career Experts for Senior Leaders
Team Bios
